Walk to the end of the month

On one of my last drives to work I stopped for this view of the sun shining through the fog.

What a trip!

My work-life (work for $) has included inter alia:

Mowing the lawn
Babysitting
Ironing Daddy's shirts (1)
Two summers at the Dairy Queen (2)
One summer in the typing pool at an adult probation office in a major metropolitan area (3)
Resident assistant at my college
Waitress for banquets  (4)
Typist for term papers
Substitute teacher (5)
Campaigner (6)
One summer in legal aid
Research assistant for family law professor (7)
Attorney
Assistant city attorney
Adjunct faculty (20 years - business law and criminal justice)
Ward healer (8)
Adult educator (GED et al.)
Parent educator (9)
Academic advisor

I am only a few weeks from retirement. I do not intend to work for pay again (but never say never - I proclaimed "I will never teach!" and refused to get a teaching certificate in college. Look back at that list. I seem to have spent a great deal of time in education, much of it teaching. Man proposes, God disposes. I prefer to say, "God laughs.").  Anyway, it seemed like a good time to take a look back, to take stock.

I have been fortunate to always be employed. My work has almost always been fulfilling. Rarely have I worked in bad conditions (although I had some nightmare co-workers and bosses, most were wonderful). So many folks I worked with taught me important lessons. I hope I was able to do the same. (10)

The jobs allowed me to spend time with my children during their early years - especially during challenging times when DH was absent (behind every hero is someone who stayed home and made sure the kids got to bed on time). I didn't do it alone. I almost always had great care-givers and friends who watched kids or gave them rides or otherwise helped. We have been fortunate, all in all.

I am enjoying these last few drives to work. And I am saving everything - the black cats running through the neighborhood (yes, sometimes across my path), the two sweet kitties resting on the trash cans (I am not the only one who loves our new garbage/recycling containers), the birds huddling on the wires over the highway, the phone wires shining in the morning sun like giant spiderwebs, the beautiful sunrises, the people walking kids to school, that special tree standing sentinel in the fields edging the last bit of the drive, the kids waiting for the bus, the folks jockeying for position at the doughnut shop, and all the silly drivers (good and bad). I cannot wait until I can cavalierly pull over and stop my car to take photos (OK, OK. I do pull over now if I am not running late) of all these special sights - as my time will be my own.

Yes, I have enjoyed the ride. I am grateful. And I am looking forward to the next thing.

I am ready.


Notes:
1. We got a dime a shirt when the lady who ironed for Mom was sick. We weren't forced to do it. We wanted to earn the money. But Daddy's shirts were all cotton and IMPOSSIBLE! I think this is where I learned to hate ironing.

2. When I was dating DH my mother would send news articles about the wife of the son of a former governor of our great state. Mom sent the articles to me to give to DH. I guess it was a warning of sorts. He just laughed and married me anyway. [Don't mess with an ex- Dairy Queen waitress. She shot him in the kitchen. Killed him. Got acquitted. Just sayin'.
http://www.dmagazine.com/publications/d-magazine/1981/august/a-death-in-the-family.]

3. I learned a lot about teamwork and read some reports that haunt me still. [Never sit next to the woman who types the psychological evaluations!]

4. If it is a faculty dinner one had to make sure you knew the formula for a standard deviation (my stats professor always asked me - no matter where I saw him).

5. I taught in my former high school. My baby brother was still there. He was the ONLY ONE who behaved. Guess he knew I would have ratted him out to Mom and Dad.

6. I worked with my father on an unsuccessful campaign for judge.

7. This guy looked just like Groucho Marx. He was a great guy and ever patient with me. I was often bad with deadlines.

8. These are my "Yankee" DH's words. I couldn't decide what to call this. I worked as a representative "in the district" for a state senator. It was supposed to be part-time. It was a great gig, but nowhere near part-time. We met a president and a governor. My children learned a good bit about civics - lessons they have not forgotten.

9. I thought this would be a volunteer position. I was so surprised to get paid for it. My children will tell you that I became a better parent because of the training I received. I would take the "techniques" home and practice on my guys. If my kiddos couldn't figure out this was a "parenting technique" and it worked, I was willing to teach it. [Only once MC looked at me and asked, "Is this something you learned in parenting class?" It was and I confessed it. But I also asked him if it was not true. He had to say it was right and we moved on.] I discovered only much later that my parenting still did not keep my children from crawling out the window to sit on top of the rotten old porch. Kids will be kids.

10. Yes, I do have a personal "ranking." The most important work I have ever done was raising my kids (I gotta say it. It was work. It was hard. It has been incredibly rewarding). Number 2 was adult education as it had the biggest impact on the students. It was life-changing for them (and for me). I am retiring from number 3.  [And this must mean that the 35 or so years with DH have not been work. I have to say, he's been pretty easy. Seriously - he's only been in the country for about 17 years. We are darn-near newlyweds.]


Lucky, lucky me.

[Yes, I certainly have more to say - there are more stories. I am going to exercise some discretion here and save some of those for later and some for the private writings for the family. Your mother probably said it too - if you don't have something nice to say....]

Time to play - need to get my hands dirty.